Two women going at each other in text message exchanges about a man allegedly cheating culminated with an all-out brawl and one of the two in jail charged with aggravated assault after slicing the victim with a pocket knife.
According to Falls Twp Police, officers were dispatched on January 14 at 7:37 a.m. to the 100 block of Hoover Drive for a reported fight between neighbors.
Police first made contact with the caller, Deborah Rivera. Rivera, 35, told police that her neighbor, the victim, had been texting her about a possible affair she could be having with her fiance. Rivera replied to the victim via text message that she did not know what she was talking about. She also said she currently had a boyfriend and was pregnant.
The neighbor continued texting Rivera to come out and fight. Rivera walked over to the neighbor’s residence on Kennedy Drive and banged on the door looking to fight. The victim and her fiance opened the front door and the victim exited the residence. Both women engaged in a fist fight, at which point Rivera pulled out a red Milwaukee folding pocket knife and sliced the victim’s left hand, causing it to bleed.
Once the knife was pulled, the victim ran into the house afraid of being seriously injured.
Before returning to her trailer and calling police, Rivera attempted to gain access to the victim inside the residence.
Rivera told police she was attacked while walking her daughter to the bus stop, police said in court papers.
Either before or after the fight, Rivera allegedly slashed two tires on a truck the victim’s fiance drives, police said in court papers.
Rivera was arraigned by District Judge John T. Galloway on one count of felony aggravated assault, misdemeanor counts of simple assault, criminal mischief and a related harassment charge. She spent about one day in jail and was released after posting 10 percent of $50,000.00 bail with a tentative court date set for January 28.
